Blog posts from the staff of The Daily News & The Memphis News

Earlier this year, Mayor Wharton likened his notion of what business recruitment and retention should be like to a marriage. “I don’t take roses home as often as I did – but you’ve got to take something home,” he told me.

Just like that point in a marriage where both partners might stop trying with the same effort they used to have – “They’re not going anywhere, so I don’t have to work as hard” – a city like Memphis and its businesses can reach that point.

“But there’s people bringing them roses, perfume and sweet music every day,” Wharton told me about potential suitors for members of Memphis’ business community, continuing the marriage metaphor.

“And I want to start taking them roses, perfume and sweet music.”

I had that in mind late last week, when Wharton told me the city has “all hands on deck” in an effort to keep Pinnacle Airlines in town. Pinnacle disclosed last week the state of Mississippi has offered a generous deal for the company to move to Olive Branch.